09 The Clue at Black Creek Farm (15 page)
Read 09 The Clue at Black Creek Farm Online
Authors: Carolyn Keene
As George waited in line for breakfast, I noticed a fortysomething woman in a wide-brimmed straw hat
and brightly colored floral pants speaking angrily to Mayor Scarlett. I toyed with the idea of trying to get closer to hear what she was saying when something bumped softly into the side of my head.
“Oops, sorry,” a voice apologized.
I turned to see a pale girl in her early twenties holding a metal pole with a professional-looking video camera attached to the top of it. I could barely see her features underneath her heavy dark-rimmed glasses. A lone wisp of her chestnut brown hair was visible from underneath a white baseball cap.
I suddenly recognized the girl's face. “Cora? Cora Burgess? Is that you?” I asked.
She nodded, eyeing me suspiciously.
“I'm Nancy Drew, Carson Drew's daughter. Alex used to work for my dad.” I stuck out my hand.
She raised her eyebrows in recognition. “Oh, right. Hi, Nancy.” After a few seconds of awkward silence, she took my hand in a feeble shake. Cora was Alex's younger sister, and I'd met her a few times when she visited her brother in my dad's office. As
I remembered, she hadn't been terribly friendly back then either.
Just then, George returned with a cinnamon roll in one hand and a croissant in the other. “You guys should get over there if you want some. All the good stuff is going fast,” she announced.
“No thanks,” Cora replied, looking disgusted. “That food has been sitting out since, like, six a.m.”
“Hey, if I remember, it was
your
dream to go to film school, Cora,” I said, changing the subject.
Cora nodded slowly. “Yeah, I'm in my second year. I'm doing a behind-the-scenes documentary about Alex's movie this summer.”
“Wow, that's amazing!” Bess exclaimed, clearly impressed. Before I could introduce my friends, Cora said, “Excuse me, I have to get back to it. Nice to see you, Nancy.” She disappeared into the crowd.
“You'd think she'd be more excited about being behind the scenes on a real film set,” George remarked. Flaky bits of croissant fell onto her shirt, and she brushed them off.
“
Well, it was
her
dream to be a filmmaker.” I shrugged. “Maybe she's jealous that her brother just changed careers,” I snapped my fingers, “and is already directing a movie of his own.”
Ned smiled and patted my shoulder affectionately. “That's our Nancy,” he chuckled. “Always looking for motives, even when there's no mystery.”
Carolyn Keene
is the bestselling author of the popular Nancy Drew series of books.
Aladdin
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
Meet the author, watch videos, and get extras at
Read all the mysteries in the
NANCY DREW DIARIES
#1 Curse of the
Arctic Star
#2 Strangers on a Train
#3 Mystery of the Midnight Rider
#4 Once Upon a Thriller
#5 Sabotage at Willow Woods
#6 Secret at Mystic Lake
#7 The Phantom of Nantucket
#8 The Magician's Secret
And coming soon
#10 A Script for Danger
WE HOPE YOU LOVED READING THIS EBOOK!
We have SO many more books for kids in the in-beTWEEN age that we'd love to share with you! Sign up for our
IN THE MIDDLE books
newsletter and you'll receive news about other great books, exclusive excerpts, games, author interviews, and more!
or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com/middle
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
This Aladdin paperback edition May 2015
Text copyright © 2015 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Cover illustration copyright © 2015 by Erin McGuire Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN
is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
NANCY DREW, NANCY DREW DIARIES
, and related logo are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or
[email protected]
.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com
.
Cover designed by Karin Paprocki
Interior designed by Karina Granda
Jacket designed by Karin Paprocki
Jacket illustration copyright © 2015 by Erin McGuire
The text of this book was set in Adobe Caslon Pro.
Library of Congress Control Number 2014952479
ISBN 978-1-4814-2940-5 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-2939-9 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-2941-2 (eBook)
